Carburetor



Aug. 11, 1936 G. o. GRIFFIN ET Al. 2,050,567

CARBURE'IAOR Filed Nov. 15, 1954 mwmudgmm Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES CARBURETOR George 0. Griin and Jamie H. Batchelor, Sa-

vannah, Ga., assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to Motor Appliance Company, Savannah, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application November 15, 193i, seria No. 753,227

Y 14 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to carburetors and more particularly to those adapted for use in connection with internal combustion engines. v e

An object of the invention s the provision of a carburetor in which the fuel and air is thoroughly mixed before the charge is permitted to p-ass tothe intake manifold of the engine. This we accomplish by passing the fuel and air through a plurality of porous or felt mixing elements which function to evenly mix fuel and air even after most of the lighter particles of the fuel have been evaporated.

Another object is to provide a carburetor in which the fuel and air are introduced from the top and are drawn downwardly through the mixing elements, the residue fuel being drawn from the bottom of the carburetor to the source of fuel supply.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will now be more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure l is a view showing the carburetor, fuel reservoir and piping connections between the two;

Figure 2 is a side sectional View of the carburetor; and

Figure 3 is a detail view vof the adjustable overflow.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I designates generally our carburetor comprising an enclosing casing or tank II within which is mounted a mixing receptacle I2 havinga Vertically extending central passage I3 which terminates at its upper end in an air inlet I4 located above the top wall I5 of the tank. Within the'mixing receptacle are mounted a plurality of filter and mixing elements I6 composed of a 40 porous material such as felt. While these elements may be mounted in the mixingreceptacle in various ways, the preferred embodiment is disclosed in Figure 2. In this form, the mixing chamber is composed o f a plurality of sec- 45 tions II, I8, I9 and 28 ranging from topto bottom of the tank and the felt mixingv elements which preferably are in the form of disks are secured between adjacent sections at their peripheries. The upper section II has its upper portion formed into the air inlet I4 while its lower portion is in the form of a plate 2| tapering downwardly and outwardly with its edges terminating short of the walls of the tank. The next succeeding sections I8 and I9 are also pro- 55 vvided with'plate-like portions 2l whichcooperate (Cl. Zijl-122) with the plates of adjacent sections to secure the felt disks in operative position. Any suitable means may be employed for securing the sections together with the felt disks clampe-d between the sections. Y 5

Each section of the mixing receptacle is provided with a central opening registering with the openings in the other sections to form the central passageway I3. The lowermost section 20 is provided with a lower plate portion 22 10 which cooperates with a perforated disk 23 to clamp the lowermost mixing element I6 within the mixing receptacle. The perforated disk and lowermost felt are positioned adjacent the bottom of the tank and are capable of and nor- 15 mally adapted to be submerged by residue fuel and condensation in a manner to be hereinafter described. w Y Secured to the section I'I and projecting within the upper part of the central passage I3 is a 20 fuel supply pipe 24. This pipe is provided with a needle valve 25 for controlling the iiow of the fuel and terminates in a spray nozzle 26 which is positioned directly above one of the felt mixing elements I6. The uppermost felt which we 25 will designate as 2'I is positioned above the spray nozzle 26 and isprovided with a central aperture through which the nozzle projects. This felt, therefore, does not constitute a mixing element but is provided primarily to filter the air as it Aenters the mixing receptacle.

Mounted in a side wall of the tank I I adjacent the bottom thereof is an adjustable residue outlet 28. This comprises anv abutment 29 formed as an integral portion of the tank and provided with a bore constituting a bearing within which is pivotally mounted the transverse portion 30 of the outlet pipe 28. The outer end of the transverse portion is closed but the side wall is cut away to provide a port 3| which is adapt- 40 ed to register with an opening 32 in the abutment. Integrally connected to the closed end of the transverse portion 30 is a stem 33 which projects outwardly beyond the abutment. A handle 34 is suitably connected to the stem for 45 the purposeof adjusting the overiiow pipe to various positions within the tank.

The numeral 35 designates a fuel supply reservoir provided with suitable piping 36 connecting the fuel supply or inlet 24 with the tank. Like- 50 wise, the outlet 28 communicates with the reservoir 35 by means of piping 31 and suitable pumping means 38 is provided to transfer the fuel to the fuel intake 24 while a second pump 39 is utilized to draw the residue out of the bottom lof the tank I I back into the reservoir 32. The tank I I is provided with an outlet 40 in the top wall I5 and this communicates with the intake manifold 4I of an internal combustion engine. Butterfly valves 42 and 43, respectively, control the ow of air to the mixing receptacle and the mixture to the intake manifold.

Assuming that the pumps 38 and 39 and the internal combustion engine are in operation, air

is drawn into air inlet I4 by the suction createdA by the engine, and fuel, such as gasoline, is introduced into the fuel supply pipe 24 by the pump 38. The air is filtered as it passes through the felt 2'I and then comes into contact with the fuel as the latter issues through the spray nozzle 2G. The fuel and the air are then successively drawn through the felt mixing elements I6 and during such movement the air and fuel are intimately mixed together. The mixture thus created is very rich and therefore must be reduced in richness before it is permitted to enter the intake manifold 4I. For this reason, the lowermost felt I6 is positioned adjacent the bottom of the tank I I so that it will in most instances be submerged by the residue fuel which accumulates in the bottom of the tank, the level of this residue being controlled by the position of the outlet pipe 28. As the mixture is drawn downwardly through this residue which also includes condensation from the air and fuel, some of the mixture is condensed and particles of the fuel are further removed from the mixture by its passage through the perforated disk 23. The outside of the plate portions of the sections I1, I8, I9 and 20 of the mixing receptacle and the inner walls of the tank form a circuitous passage through which the mixture must pass before it escapes through the outlet 4D to the intake manifold 4I and this additional passage has the tendency of further reducing the richness of the mixture so thatit will have the desired proportion of air and fuel as it passes to the engine.

When the residue has reached a predetermined level depending on the position of the outlet 28, it is pumped back into the fuel reservoir by means of the pump 39. Thus, during operation of the engine, there is a positive circulation of the fuel between the source of supply and the tank and from the bottom of the tank back'to the reservoir. The mixing felts I6 function to produce an intimate mixture of gas and air even after most of the lighter gas has been evaporated and thus a very low grade of residue is left in the bottom of the tank. By mounting the felt disks at their peripheries a large contact area for mixing the fuel and air is provided.

While our carburetor is particularly adapted for use with internal combustion engines, it is obvious that it can be used for various other purposes. Furthermore, while the drawing shows the preferred embodiment of our invention, we do not limit ourselves to the exact details shown and described.

We claim:-

l. In a carburetor, a tank, amixing receptacle mounted in said tank, and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, a mixing element mounted in the receptacle, and 4separate means for admitting fuel and air to the mixing receptacle above said mixing element and comprising the only means of supply to thecarthe tank.

2. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, the upper extremity of the receptacle constitut ing an air inlet passage and comprising the only means for supplying air to the carburetor, a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air passage, and a mixing element mounted in the receptacle below the fuel supply pipe, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank.

3. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, a mixing element comprising a disk of felt secured between the walls of said receptacle, and separate means for admitting fuel and air to the receptacle above the felt disk, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank.

4. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in the top wall of the tank and spaced from the other walls of the tank to provide a passage formed by the outside of the mixing receptacle and the tank, the upper extremity of the receptacle constituting an air inlet passage and the base of the receptacle being provided with an opening for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air passage, and a mixing element mounted in the receptacle below the fuel supply pipe, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located in the top wall thereof whereby the mixture will flow downwardly through the opening in the mixing receptacle and then upwardly through the passage formed by the exterior of the mixing receptacle and the tank and nally discharge through the outlet in the top of the tank.

5. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, the upper extremity of the receptacle constituting an air inlet passage and comprising the only means for supplying air to the carburetor, a fuel supplyv pipe mounted in the air passage, a mixing element mounted in the receptacle below the fuel supply pipe, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank, a source of fuel supply, connections from the source to said tank, and means for circulating the fuel through the tank.

6. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base fOr plaCng the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank,

the upper extremity of the receptacle constituting an air inlet passage, a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air passage, a mixing element mounted in the receptacle below the fuel supply pipe, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank, a source of fuel supply, means for transferring the fuel from the source of supply to the fuel supply pipe, and means for returning the residue from the bottom of the tank to the source of supply, whereby a positive circulation of fuel between the source of supply and the tank is effected, and excess of fuel fed to the tank returned to the source of supply.

7. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted'in said tank and provided with an open- 76 ing in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, the upper extremity of the receptacle constituting an air inlet passage, a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air passage, a mixing element mounted in the receptacle below the fuel supply pipe, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank, a source of fuel supply, means for transferring the fuel from the source of supply to the fuel supply pipe, and means for returning the residue from the bottom of the tank to the source of supply, said means including an adjustable outlet pipe mounted in a side wall of the tank.

8. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, the upper extremity of the receptacle constituting an air inlet passage, a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air passage, a plurality of spaced mixing elements mounted in the receptacle below the fuel supply pipe, one of said elements being positioned adjacent to the outlet of the fuel pipe, and another of said elements mounted in the lower end of said receptacle and capable of being submerged by fuel collect-ed in the bottom of the tank, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank, a source of fuel supply, means for transferring the fuel from the source of supply to the fuel supply pipe, and means for returning the residue from the bottom of the tank to the source of supply, said means including an adjustable outlet pipe mounted in a side Wall of the tank adjacent the lowermost mixing element.

9. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, the upper extremity of the receptacle constituting an air inlet passage, a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air passage, a mixing element mounted in the receptacle below the fuel supply pipe, and an air filter mounted in the receptacle above the fuel supply pipe and encircling the same, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank.

10. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank,

. the upper extremity of the receptacle constituting an `air inlet passage, a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air passage, said mixing receptacle comprising a plurality of sections, and a plurality of mixing elements secured between adjacent sections of the mixing receptacle, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank.

11. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, means for introducing fuel and air into the top of said receptacle, and a plurality of mixing elements mounted in the receptacle, one of said elements being mounted in the lower portion of said receptacle and capable of being submerged by fuel collected in the bottom of the tank, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom thereof.

12. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and provided with an opening in its base for placing the receptacle in communication with the lower portion of the tank, means for introducing fuel and air into the top of said receptacle, a mixing element mounted in said receptacle, and means for collecting fuel in the bottom of said tank and maintaining the level thereof above the opening in the base of the mixing receptacle, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture located above the bottom of the tank.

13. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle lmounted in the wall of the tank and spaced from the other walls of the tank to provide a passage formed by the outside of the mixing receptacle in the tank, means for introducing fuel and air to the mixing receptacle and constituting the only means of supply to the carburetor, said means including an air inlet passage formed in said receptacle and a fuel supply pipe mounted in the air inlet passsage, and a mixing element mounted in the receptacle, said receptacle having an outlet for the mixture placing the receptacle in communication with the tank, and said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture locatedl at a remote point from the outlet in the receptacle, whereby the mixture will flow through the receptacle and then through the passage formed by the exterior of the mixing receptacle in the tank and nally discharged through the tank outlet.

14. In a carburetor, a tank, a mixing receptacle mounted in said tank and formed of a plurality of plate-like sections arranged in pairs, the sections of each pair converging from their centers to their peripheries to form intervening tapering space, flat mixing felts arranged in the tapering spaces and secured between the peripheral portions of the plates, and means for supplying fuel and air to the mixing receptacle, said tank being provided with an outlet for the mixture.

JAMIE H. BATCHELOR.. GEORGE O. GRIFFIN. 

